Letters To The Editor

February 15, 2006

DMV Living

In The Past

What is wrong with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles? My husband and I went to the Wethersfield branch on Saturday, Feb. 11, only to find that it was closed for Lincoln's Birthday and would not reopen until Tuesday, Feb. 14. For many people, Saturday is the only day of the week that they are able to take care of these kinds of matters.

Closing the DMV on Saturdays is ludicrous. This department is already closed on Sundays and Mondays, and there are only a few branches throughout the entire state, which is another ridiculous story.

The Lincoln's Birthday holiday was not until Feb. 13. If the DMV really had to have yet another day off (of which it already has too many) it could have been closed on Tuesday. This is clearly another case of ridiculous management by the state.

Ohio has many motor vehicle department sites in every city, and the state of Maine is smart enough to have its DMV sites in shopping malls. When is Connecticut going to catch up with the 21st century?

Bambi L. Grigg

Vernon

Safety First?

Please tell me that adviser Mary Matalin was joking when she said that her boss, Vice President Dick Cheney, ``was not careless or incautious or violate any of the [rules]. He didn't do anything he wasn't supposed to do'' [Page 1, Feb. 13, ``Cheney Wounds Fellow Hunter''].

Excuse me if I'm flabbergasted by Ms. Matalin's logic, but isn't shooting one's hunting partner against the rules? At the very least, it is decidedly unsportsmanlike, not to mention being careless.

On further reflection, it is comments such as Ms. Matalin's that help explain our presence in Iraq. Shoot first and then identify your target. And if you've hit the wrong target, patiently explain to the muddled masses that they are the ones with fuzzy perceptions of reality.

Sheila Foran

Glastonbury

All-Day Preschool

Not The Answer

I could not disagree more with The Courant's suggestion that statewide all-day preschool is in the best interest of the state's children and families [editorial, Feb. 13, ``Universal Preschool The Goal''].

Years ago, kindergarten filled the role now played by preschool. Children were expected to come to kindergarten on time and ready to learn. But beyond that, the emphasis was on playing together, learning letters and numbers and becoming assimilated to a classroom environment. We have now set our expectations for our 5-year-olds so high that kids need one to two years of preschool to prepare for kindergarten.

I agree that 3- and 4-year-olds benefit from some organized playschool activities. But much more than that, they benefit from being home with a parent and learning in an unstructured, open setting. ``Authoritative studies'' have also shown that young children learn better from free and open play in a non-academic setting.

In pushing towns to provide free preschool to all children, The Courant seems mostly concerned about the benefit to low-income mothers while failing to consider the impact on children who are being put in an academic situation at a tender young age.

If we are concerned about low-income parents' access to safe and affordable day care, why not focus our efforts on increasing child-care reimbursements for low-income working parents? Sending our toddlers to a full day of school at earlier and earlier ages is certainly not the answer.

Melissa Carver Sottile

Hartland

Double Standard

On Cartoons

With regard to Karen Hunter's Feb. 12 Other Opinion column ``Editors Wrangled Over Printing Cartoons,'' in which she addressed the cartoons that caused riots in Muslim countries:

I believe that the American media should have been the first to print the supposedly offensive cartoons to demonstrate to the rest of the world that it holds no one religion in higher esteem than another.

People of the Christian, Jewish and Buddhist faiths have been targets of benign (and sometimes not-so-benign) ridicule in the mainstream U.S. media for many years. It seems hypocritical that the media is now taking a hands-off approach so as not to offend those who seemingly despise our way of life.

The credibility of the media is on the line.

Thomas R. Hochschild Sr.

Vernon

Situation Calls

For Restraint

I applaud The Courant's decision not to reprint inflammatory cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. Certainly some readers will contend The Courant has allowed religious sensitivity to trump free speech. I think it is important to remember that just because we have the right to print something doesn't mean we ought to. Our democratic rights become meaningless when we use them irresponsibly.

Any speech that purposefully promotes misunderstanding, religious intolerance and hatred is irresponsible and risks undermining the public good. In choosing the path of restraint, The Courant has shown great integrity and great respect for our democracy.